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Other Side of the Glass
Previous. Tairais: Silence and shadow followed him deafening waves, as if the world itself held its breath in fear and tried to forget that he existed as this terrible... thing. Even the quiet shifts and groans of the Society stilled in his wake, reminiscent of a forest in the wake of a gunshot on a still, clear night. There were only the sounds of his hooves and the agitated snorts he made every few minutes. Tchick, tchick, tchick, tchick '' H- .. His mentor had told him stories of creatures like the one he was now, of beings that left no traces of their brutal acts save for bloody hoofprints in the snow, of great gaping maws and eternal hunger, and of the eternal pull towards heated blood. Being told, and knowing, for that matter, didn't help in the slightest. ''Tchick, tchick, tchick, tchick ''Though the enhancing of his senses should have felt a gift, it was really more of an assault on every part of him, something new always screaming for his attention. It made his head ache, and so it was that while he should have been able to smell the occupants of the aquarium, it was too distant a thought to analyze. As such, he almost missed the sight of a face that made- would've made his heart stop in his chest for a moment on any normal day. Today, he wasn't even sure he ''had a pulse. Great, tar-black antlers nearly scratching the glass despite the distance between them, Richard waited for his presence to be felt, though it was hard to see anything but his glowing eyes once he occupied the room, despite how big it was. Decipherer: After nearly dying of dehydration mere hours before, Elias was in a bad mood. Multiple Lodgers had laughed at his predicament already, as if becoming some half-fish creature was the funniest thing in the world. It was ridiculous, and tiring, and Elias was quite sure he wasn't going crazy and that that octopus had been staring and blushing at him. So, naturally, when he looked to the glass barrier with a deep frown and saw the giant ... thing, he let out a shriek and darted towards the far side of the aquarium. Tairais: Richard held up his hands in as placating a gesture as he could manage with claws that seemed to have no definite starting or ending point on his fingers. He gestured at the little bit of green smoke still lingering on the floor, then pointed to himself, irritation flashing in his green eyes, which were fortunately still the same color. He tried not to let his grief at Elias' shriek at him show. It wasn't Elias' fault that he looked like this, (and surely it was only his external appearance Elias found fault with) and, well. He deserved the fear. The feeling still prickled under his midnight skin. The same fog that had turned him into.. this, had gifted Elias into a quite beautiful tail, though he was sure Elias didn't see it quite like he. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little bit of indignation. He didn't enjoy what he had done, so why the hell was he- It didn't matter. More than likely it was a random effect. At least the antlers were nice. A sudden thought occurred to him. He leaned forward and huffed on the glass, writing his name (backwards, so Elias could read it) on the glass. He pointed at himself again, eyes twinkling at his silly solution. Decipherer: Elias watches the creature with narrowed eyes, still distanced and against the farthest wall. Something about the pacifying hand gesture was all too familiar, and his eyes darted from the foggy floor to the being's eyes almost searchingly. He cringed as it began to breathe onto the glass, catching glimpses of frighteningly jagged teeth somewhere in the action. He watched as 'R', 'I', 'C', and more letters followed, and Elias' stomach twisted as he realized his own scream. He hesitantly swims towards the glass, his head tilting. " ...Richard? D- did..." he gestures to the floor much like Richard had before, "Did that stuff do this to you?" Tairais: A flash of relief danced in his eyes, and he nodded. He pointed at his throat and mimed a slash across it, shrugging slightly. It was hard to say 'I cannot talk' with hand gestures, but it would have to suffice. He let out an irritated huff, though his vocal chords made it more of a soft bellow than anything. Decipherer: Elias observes the movement and gathers as much, crossing his arms with a small frown. Wet hair drifted in and out of his vision, but it couldn't be helped, considering how surroundings. In a somewhat poor attempt at lightening the mood, he chuckles weakly, "And to think I thought what happened to me was bad..." Tairais: Richard grinned but flinched directly after that as he sliced the inside of his cheek with his teeth for the umpteenth time since he had woken up. He shook his head, snorting in amusement. He tilted his head inquisitively, a mildly concerned look directed towards Elias, eyes asking any number of questions trapped behind uncooperative vocal chords. Decipherer: Elias raises an eyebrow with a small smirk, curious as to what was happening in Richard's head. "Suppose asking if you know what might have happened would be pointless, then?" Tairais: Richard bared his teeth in a rough approximation of his former lopsided smile, nodding apologetically. He tilted his head to the other side now, in a (rather gruesome looking) mockery of the way pups do when confused. He admired the way the water fanned Elias' hair, and was struck with the sudden urge to... hug him. That was a foreign concept all on its own, and he frowned for half a second, perturbed. Be that as it may, he did his best to ask if the other man was all right using only his eyes. There was about a fifty-fifty shot either way. Decipherer: Elias had no way of properly interpreting Richard's gaze, and he laughs bleakly. "I wish I could tell what you're trying to get across." He huffs softly, shrugging in a 'what can ya do' sort of manner. "Today's been wild. Woke up half-dead from dehydration, a Lodger practically threw me in here when this," he flicks his tail slightly, "happened." Tairais: Richard stifled a flash of irritation at the idea of Elias being thrown about like a sack of potatoes. Especially because said flash of irritation was accompanied by a very strong desire to eat the heart of whoever had done so, kind intentions be damned. Unknown to him, his eyes had flickered red at the thought. He'd deal with it later, once he found out. After the moment had passed, he nodded, simply because while he agreed with the first statement, he couldn't relay his own experiences. He folded his legs and sat as close to the glass as was comfortable, nearly, if not taller than his full former height even Decipherer: Elias, unfortunately, doesn't take notice of the brief change in eye color. He sits on the floor of the aquarium with a small sigh, tugging at his shirt collar slightly. "I'm deeply regretting my decision to wear this thing." Tairais: Richard did his best to smile sympathetically, though the effect was somewhat warped by his teeth. Being unable to talk wouldn't normally have been a problem, but Elias was, once again, providing him with exceptions again. He found his current predicament positively annoying. There was also the prickling matter of the symbolism behind his transformation, and the siren call of warm blood nearby. It was really rather irritating, having his control tested so. He'd only just gotten it back, after all. Decipherer: Elias looks at his poor attempt at a smile and just laughs, "Apologies, but that looks... really funny." Some part of him was rather scared that this could be permanent, but he neglected to mention it for the sake of keeping things light-hearted. Tairais: At this, Richard merely grinned, tapping the side of his cheek for emphasis. Richard's train of thought arrived at the same station as Elias'. He'd have to go back to living on the fringes of civilization again if he was stuck, and while he was able to do so, he would no longer thrive as he once had. Decipherer: Elias breaths out a small chuckle, his hands fidgeting slightly as he continued to dwell on the possibility that this wasn't temporary. Would he live inside a tank forever? What of his friends, or Artemis? What about Richard? He huffs into a weak smile, trying to not let such fears show on the exterior. "So, what exactly... are you? If you have a way to communicate that to me, that is." Tairais: Richard rose surprisingly gracefully, like a deer unfolding its legs to bound into the woods. In fairness, he was pretty sure that was what his pair of legs currently were, so it made sense. Though the trepidation would, under normal circumstances, have made his heart thunder in his chest, he felt nothing but the sickening pull of a worried stomach. Would Elias know what he was? Would he know the connotations of this transformation? What would happen then? Was this going to be permanent? He couldn't stand the thought of no other chance to speak to or touch Elias (or any other lodger, though they were not currently on his mind). The questions weren't all related of course, but they were still valid and disconcerting. He huffed a heavy breath onto the glass, tracing seven letters into the glass, causing it to screech softly as his claws got in the way. Wendigo Decipherer: Elias cringes just slightly as Richard's claws scrape gently against the glass, but when he sees the word, his eyes widen, and he swims towards them. "As in, the c-- Nevermind. Are you alright?" His voice was filled with concern, and though his mind wanted to question it, he simply couldn't. Others had received similar, wasn't Alice a ghoul? Would that mean that she -- It didn't mean anything. It couldn't mean anything, he decided. Tairais: Richard shoved aside his lingering nausea and counted his next few gestures with slender fingers. One, and first: A nod. Yes, as in the cannibalistic monster. Two, and second: A shrug, then a pause. He wasn't sure. Three, and third: A glance away, gaze downcast, and a small shake of the head. He really wasn't, but he didn't want to draw attention to it. He did his best to give Elias a reassuring look, though again his visage worked against him wholeheartedly. There was really no reason to worry. If this ended up being permanent, he'd just have to.. Well, he'd figure that out when the time came. For now, he merely closed his eyes and tried to enjoy the murmur of the water and the cadence of Elias' voice, the tight, sick feeling in his stomach working his way to his throat. He very quietly tried to regulate his breathing, and almost chuckled in the irony of it all. He could feel almost nothing: it was the lack of anything that had him in a panic but he couldn't even really.. feel it. It was difficult to try and put into words, especially when they fell away like so many grains of sand in the wind. Decipherer: Elias scoots closer to the glass to if nothing else offer some comfort, if it even could. He offers a tiny smile, and even though his own panic and reason said otherwise, he adds, "It'll be okay." Tairais: Richard very much doubted it would be if everything stayed like this, but he was grateful to Elias all the same. He glared at the glass separating them and held up a hand. He let it hover for a moment, issuing a silent prayer to the gods that must have, by now, abandoned him many times over. Eventually, after many aborted attempts, he bridged the distance, resting his hand palm-first against the glass. His claws made little sounds like tinkling china shards as they clicked against it, and he found himself smiling in return, stifling an annoyed shout when he cut the inside of his cheek again. Decipherer: Elias' eyes the gesture with confusion for a moment, but this softens into a tiny smirk. He lifts a hand of his own to rest on where Richard's would be, were there not a barrier, and he seems to relax slightly. His mind buzzed with things he wanted to say, or explain, or ask about, but it didn't really matter. Tairais: A fraction of the hidden tension in his shoulders dissipated at the almost-touch. He hugged out what could almost be considered a sigh, but as with most vocalizations so far, it ended up being just a hair too loud and bestial. At the very least, he thought, we are here, and he is kind. '' All at once, he realized that there were no memories tugging at the corners of his mind. The white noise of a million subconscious thoughts had faded into nothing. What that Elias' doing, or that of the creature he now was? He supposed it didn't really matter in the end; the result was a welcome experience. '''Decipherer:' Elias tips his head back in a heaving sigh and rests against the glass with a small 'thud.' "Thank you for.. everything, Richard." The rest of his sentence was a mumble, too unclear to understand, but Elias hoped that it would be enough. Tairais: Richard nodded, his close proximity to the glass causing his antlers to rap sharply against it. Even if he could speak, he knew he wouldn't have been able to find a statement that properly expressed the depth of his own gratitude and... fondness. He smiled, eyes sparkling softly to make up for the jagged shapes of his mouth and teeth. It would have to be enough. Unbidden, memories of their kisses in the kitchen tugged at the current of his thoughts. He was immensely glad that he couldn't blush, though he did huff out another sort-of sigh, the corners of his smile twitching slightly. Decipherer: Elias was thinking much of the same as Richard, but even avoidance of the discussion aside, he knew now was hardly a fitting time. He would do it later, though. Perhaps when this was all sorted out. Though he was content to sit in silence, he tilts his head to look up at Richard when he sighs. When his smile flickers, Elias questions somewhat tentatively, "Are you alright?" Tairais: Another nod, then. This language of gestures was getting awfully irritating. He waved a hand in what he hoped was a suitable 'don't worry about' sort of gesture. There wasn't really much to worry about, except there were far too many things to worry about. For once, though, he didn't particularly care to pay any of those things mind. Decipherer: Elias for once lets himself be reassured, and he nods, returning to the comfortable silence. He wasn't quite sure he knew what to say, so he said nothing at all. Next. Obtained From Let's Get Spooky! Category:Main Plot Category:Halloween Special: Monster Mash